The Last Temptation of Christ

By Miles Bethany

It isn't difficult to imagine why this 1988 retelling of the
Crucifixion story was picketed vociferously upon release--this Jesus bears
little resemblance to the classical Christ, who was not, upon careful
review of the Gospels, ever reported to have had sex with Barbara Hershey.
Heavily informed by Gnostic reinterpretations of the Passion, The Last
Temptation of Christ (based rather strictly on Nikos Kazantzakis's
novel of the same name) is surely worth seeing for the controversy and
blasphemous content alone, but it's difficult to find in skittish chain
video stores. But the "last temptation" of the title is nothing
overtly naughty--rather, it's the seduction of the commonplace; the desire
to forgo following a "calling" in exchange for domestic
security. Willem Dafoe interprets Jesus as spacy, indecisive, and none too
charismatic (though maybe that's just Dafoe himself), but his Sermon on
the Mount is radiant with visionary fire; a bit less successful is method
actor Harvey Keitel, who gives the internally conflicted Judas a
noticeable Brooklyn accent, and doesn't bring much imagination to a role
that demands a revisionist's approach. Despite director Martin Scorsese's
penchant for stupid camera tricks, much of the desert footage is simply
breathtaking, even on small screen. Ultimately, Last Temptation is
not much more historically illuminating than Monty Python's Life of
Brian, but hey, if it's authenticity you're after, try Gibbon's.

Academy Awards

The Last Temptation of Christ received an Academy
Awards nomination for Director (Martin Scorsese).